


choosing sides

by nausicaa_of_phaeacia



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Daisy And Her Huge Crush On Coulson, F/M, Post-Framework, Sexual Tension, emotional tension, they are so intense like you have no idea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-26 16:20:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10790205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nausicaa_of_phaeacia/pseuds/nausicaa_of_phaeacia
Summary: Mere minutes before they return, it happens. Or almost happens. They’re in a dim corridor and as Daisy is trying to sneak around the corner, their faces are suddenly too close.





	choosing sides

**Author's Note:**

  * For [zauberer_sirin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/zauberer_sirin/gifts).



> As per usual, I have no idea what I'm doing. I started this fic with a different idea in mind, but it went its own way, I guess. I just wanted to squeeze this in before the next episode. I'm close to praying for a nice resolution of all this (mainly because I want to keep watching / to maybe also catch up on the show) ... I feel like it would be really easy to screw things up on the show right now.  
> Anyways. Rambling. Also, sorry about the intelligent title. And I'm an idiot and haven't added that much detail this time because I'm really not sure how things are going to turn out in canon.
> 
> This is for zauberer_sirin. Get well (like, really well!) soon :) ♥

Mere minutes before they return, it happens. Or almost happens. They’re in a dim corridor and as Daisy is trying to sneak around the corner, their faces are suddenly too close. It’s weird, because it’s not the first time they’ve been this close, physical contact happens when you’re out in the field, or sparring, or making do with a lousy tent. But they’re not even touching, and Daisy’s heart is suddenly beating so loud that she’s almost convinced Coulson can hear it. He certainly looks at her like he can hear it, or maybe he’s hearing something else, maybe his own heartbeat, he looks stunned. And he’s almost blushing, and they’re almost moving closer. Daisy thinks that maybe she might kiss him, not that it might make much of a difference, because everything might be completely different on the other side, but then there’s a sound, and they realize that their opportunity to use the portal will be over in a moment. Jemma is calling their names already, and they run, they run for their lives, and jump in at the last minute. 

Daisy reunites with her body in this universe ready to fight, she’s mentally prepared herself for punches as soon as she’s going to open her eyes so often that it feels almost too natural, like an exercise she’s gone through so often she knows it by heart. Nothing happens, though, when she opens her eyes in this world again, nothing except Elena touching her face and Agent Piper running around between pods to disconnect everything, Elena giving orders so people can catch all of them, their limp bodies, as soon as the machine has been turned off. She’s pretty sure she’s hearing Joey’s voice, but that might just be wishful thinking. She can’t really move her head fast enough, she feels like she’s been given some sort of drugs, but at least it looks like everyone who jumped in also made it to the other side. Some of the pods are empty, and she knows what it means, she’s seen them die in the Framework. 

She’s the first to recover, and it almost makes her feel guilty, like it’s something she doesn’t deserve, and that, too, is a familiar feeling. Getting chosen before others. She’s pretty sure nobody is going to notice, not now, there’s too much to do – she slowly sits up, leaves the bed, because she’s feeling so incredibly restless, she can’t stay here. Elena has seen to it that everybody’s accommodated in their own bunks, so at least, there’s some privacy, but Daisy suddenly feels far too confined by the walls to stay. She risks a small look into the mirror, and it’s an unexpected relief to see her shorter, curlier hair, her tired eyes. 

Very quietly, she closes the door behind her, can’t decide which way to go, but instinctively tiptoes to the left. She hesitates for a moment, then makes up her mind, opens Coulson’s door anyway. It feels wrong to go in without knocking, but she just wants to _make sure_.  
He’s still connected to the IV drip, she guesses it’s because he was out for longer than the others. It shouldn’t be anything to worry about, but it’s not fine. None of this should ever have happened. And she can’t deny it, she worries about him. She worries about how much he’s going to remember. About how he’s going to adjust to what happened. She knows it’s not the first time he’s had to deal with some sort of alternate reality, but still. It’s not like he’s got her experience, she thinks, and she’s feeling unusually cynical about the whole thing. She steps a little closer, then sees Coulson’s chest rise and fall and decides she’s probably seen enough. She shouldn’t be in here, after all.

The next morning, she’s surprised to find Coulson in the kitchen, making coffee, the way he always used to. It’s a little early, she hasn’t gotten too much sleep.  
"Hey," he offers, obviously exhausted, but otherwise probably okay.  
"Hey," she says, too cautious to smile at him, but she’s glad to see him. "You’re … you’re wearing glasses," she adds, not without irritation, because, "like when – like in the –"  
"Like in the Framework?" He smiles a little as she nods. "Yeah. I’m … My eyes hurt a little. I’ve got a headache. Didn’t wanna wear my contacts."  
She nods again, not sure what to say. It feels weird to see him wear glasses, they really remind her of the other side. 

Seeing the look on her face, he instantly suggests, "I can take them off if you want." It comes out sounding more serious that he intended, so he adds, "I could probably make an espresso in my sleep." It makes her laugh, and he looks insanely relieved.  
"No, it’s okay," Daisy chuckles. "They look good on you."  
He blushes for a moment as he’s taking a sip. "Thanks."  
Her heart is at it again, beating like crazy because apparently, there’s something in the air between them. Then Coulson says, "Can I make you some coffee? A latte maybe?"  
He’s smirking because he knows it’s her favourite, and even though she doesn’t really want to consume anything right now, she doesn’t want to say no. He’s being really sweet. And she’s afraid he might be feeling a little guilty, even if that’s complete bullshit, but that’s what it looks like.  
"Yes, please. Haven’t had a real coffee in ages," she says, just to please him, and he knows she’s doing it on purpose. He looks absurdly pleased.

Halfway through her coffee, she can’t help it, she needs to ask.  
"Do you remember?"  
Her question makes the atmosphere heavy all of a sudden, like this is more important than she would have thought it to be. He looks up, meeting her eyes. He looks a little surprised, and so serious that Daisy already regrets having asked.  
"Yeah. Well, I mean, probably not everything." He swallows. "Why are you asking?"  
"I’m sorry," she says. "I’m just … I need to know." She looks up again. "Do you remember … do you remember who you were in the Framework?"  
"Yes." He’s focusing on his cup.  
"Do you remember anything else? Like … anything important I might not know?," she asks, and she’s not being entirely honest, because that’s not what she’s asking, this is just a stupid pretext, and she can’t help it, she’s being stupid right now.  
"I don’t think so," he says, sounding a little defeated. "Simmons and you knew more about everything than I did back there."  
"I’m sorry," she whispers, leaves the room without looking at him. She’s an idiot. Now she’s most probably made him feel guilty again. Great, Daisy, thank you.

It keeps her awake for hours. She can’t hear him, but she’s pretty sure Coulson’s awake too, thanks to her and her wonderful communication skills. She turns around again, in the hope of finding a position that makes it easier to forget than to remember when she hears someone enter the room on tiptoes. The adrenaline almost makes her turn around and use her powers on the intruder, but the footsteps behind her back sound so careful she’s suddenly sure it’s him. He stops a few steps from her bed, just stands there for a moment, then turns around to leave again.  
"Coulson," she says, very quietly, then turns around. It’s dark, so she can’t really see his face, but there’s enough light for her to recognize his silhouette.  
After a beat, he whispers, "I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. Sorry, this is really not okay –," and she hears him move, but she sits up and reaches for the switch of the small lamp on her nightstand.

It’s a really small light, but still far too bright right now.  
He’s squinting. "Daisy, I’m really sorry," he says.  
"What are you doing here?"  
"I just wanted to – I’m sorry. I should have knocked. Didn’t want to wake you."  
She’s not sure what to say.  
"I – I promise I’m not normally watching you sleep."  
It makes her giggle, and it completely changes the atmosphere. "I know that, Coulson," she says, still laughing. He looks very relieved. She motions for him to sit on the bed, and he cautiously approaches her, not sure how to handle the situation. 

She pulls her feet up so he can sit down.  
"Why did you come?"  
"I don’t know," he says, truthfully. "I just wanted to check on you, I guess."  
"In the middle of the night."  
"Yeah, I mean –," he looks at her like he’s going to explain he wasn’t sure if she was having nightmares, then he just says, "You checked on me last night," like it’s a confession, like he shouldn’t be telling her all this.  
She blushes. "So you were awake." Coulson nods.  
"Sorry," she manages. "I was worried about you."  
"It’s okay," he says. "To be honest … it felt good to know that someone was checking on me." He sighs. "That _you_ were checking on me."

She looks at him, almost a little alarmed, but he doesn’t meet her eyes. Daisy’s hoping that this means what she thinks it means, because if that’s what it means, it means that they’re feeling the same way about it.  
"Coulson, I’m – I’m always checking on you."  
He looks at her like she’s probably just saying that to make him feel better, but as soon as he sees her eyes, he almost feels ashamed for thinking that. Daisy could never be anything but honest. Daisy has never been anything but honest.  
"Thank you," he says, but it means more than that, and since she doesn’t say anything, he adds, "same." She nods, because she knows that, she’s supposed to have known that all along, but it never sounded as true as it does right now, and she’s been really stupid, because look at him, look at Coulson, it’s actually written on his face.

She’s about to say something, or maybe do something, when he suddenly says, "I do remember something else," and suddenly the air is so goddamn charged, because the way he looks at her, it tells her exactly what he is talking about, he’s talking about that moment in the corridor, the moment before they ran. It feels like her heart is beating so loud that it’s making it really hard for her to speak, but somehow, she doesn’t know how, she manages, "I was hoping you would," and then she can’t wait any longer, but that’s okay, because it doesn’t look like Coulson can, either, and they’re all over each other, hands and lips and cheeks and legs and this is getting complicated, but it’s also the easiest thing in the whole world.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading. Hope you liked it :)


End file.
